by Ella Snapp
MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — Three people accused of financially exploiting an 88-year-old Mobile County man out of hundreds of thousands of dollars will have their cases presented to a grand jury following preliminary hearings Thursday.
Melissa Lynn Hobden, Nora Powe Hobden and Michael Lewis Crouch are facing felony charges in connection with the alleged financial exploitation of Tom Baxter.
During Thursday's hearings, Mobile County Sheriff's Office Detective Tanner Cheshire detailed an investigation involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks, two Satsuma properties and two iPhone 17s.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sussman described the case as an example of what she called a "crime of secrecy," saying fear and shame can prevent elderly victims from speaking up.
Prosecutors say the connection to Baxter began through his late wife, Peggy, who had Alzheimer's.
Nora Hobden cared for Peggy before she died, according to testimony Thursday. Prosecutors say that relationship gave Hobden access to Baxter and his family.
"She was a caretaker for his deceased wife who had Alzheimer's before she passed. So, she had access to him that way," Sussman told NBC 15.
Prosecutors allege Nora Hobden, her daughter Melissa Hobden and Melissa's romantic partner, Michael Crouch, later financially exploited Baxter over a period of several years.
Investigators traced checks connected to the case beginning in 2020 and continuing through 2025.
Cheshire testified some checks contained memos describing payments for things such as "sitter," "education" and "labor."
Baxter told investigators he recognized signing some checks but claimed he did so under duress. He told investigators other signatures were not his.
According to testimony Thursday, Baxter told investigators Melissa Hobden would ask him for checks and money and allegedly threatened to accuse him of sexual abuse if he refused.
Investigators also testified that Melissa Hobden did report an allegation of sexual abuse against Baxter in 2021.
According to testimony, Hobden alleged Baxter reached his hand up her shorts.
That investigation was later closed after investigators said they were unable to reconnect with Melissa Hobden to continue the investigation.
The allegation was not adjudicated, and the closure of that investigation does not establish whether the allegation was true or false.
Investigators say Baxter later told them he felt pressured by the alleged threats when he transferred two Satsuma properties to Melissa Hobden in 2021, listing that Melissa was his daughter.
The investigation also uncovered two iPhone 17s allegedly purchased through Baxter's AT&T account while he was hospitalized in 2025.
Cheshire testified Baxter had allowed Melissa Hobden and her son to be on his phone plan but said he had not authorized the purchase of the two phones.
Investigators say the phones were shipped to Melissa Hobden's address.
Investigators estimate checks connected to the case total approximately $628,000.
When the value of the two properties is included, investigators estimated the alleged losses at approximately $800,000.
Earlier in the investigation, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch told NBC 15 investigators were still awaiting additional financial records and believed the eventual total could exceed $1 million.
Prosecutors say the alleged exploitation did not come to light because Baxter initially reported it himself.
Instead, they say a fall sent him to the hospital and prompted his daughter, Tammy, who lives in Kentucky, to come to Alabama and look into her father's affairs.
"He was afraid," Sussman said. "And the fact that he was extorted didn't come to light until he had a bad fall. He was in the hospital and his daughter came down from out of state and checked into his affairs and learned that he had been horrifically victimized to the tune of almost a million dollars."
The Sheriff's Office received a complaint in November 2025 after Baxter's daughter noticed large transactions involving her father's finances, according to testimony.
Cheshire said he began investigating in January and interviewed Baxter multiple times.
Sussman told NBC 15 cases involving elderly victims can be difficult to uncover because victims may feel embarrassed or ashamed about what happened.
"One of the reasons that we don't see them as often is there is a lot of shame associated with an older person who is exploited," Sussman said. "There's a reason that an entire genre of crimes is created around it. They're being targeted. It's predatory. It's calculated. It's intentional."
She encouraged families to regularly check on elderly relatives and friends rather than assuming a victim will tell someone if something is wrong.
"This is a crime of secrecy often," Sussman said. "Please reach out to the family members and friends in your community. Let them know that this is not something they need to be ashamed of."
Sussman said reporting suspected exploitation early can also increase the chances investigators will be able to recover money for a victim.
"We want to help prosecute, but the earlier we do it, the more likely we are to have a good result and achieve restitution," she said.
The District Attorney's Office also has a unit aimed at intervening in financial scams targeting elderly residents, including a growing number involving cryptocurrency. Sussman stressed that cryptocurrency was not involved in Baxter's case.
Following Thursday's preliminary hearings, Judge Johana Bucci sent the cases against all three defendants to a Mobile County grand jury for further review.
The grand jury will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to indict the defendants and move the felony cases forward in circuit court.
Prosecutors also indicated Thursday that they want to move quickly to preserve Baxter's testimony because of his declining physical health and his age.
Sussman said prosecutors currently have no reason to believe Baxter is experiencing a mental deficit, but said preserving testimony is a concern prosecutors regularly face when handling cases involving elderly victims.
"We have no reason to think that he is at this time undergoing any sort of mental deficit," Sussman said. "But in order to make sure that we preserve the integrity of what he has to say so that he can adequately convey his experience and how he was victimized, we want to make sure to go ahead and take that testimony early."
Melissa Hobden, Nora Hobden and Michael Crouch have not been convicted of the charges against them. Their cases remain pending.
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3 accused in alleged $800K elder exploitation scheme headed to Mobile County grand jury
